Crash Diet or Lifestyle Change?

I’m good at crash dieting. If I can lose 20-30 pounds in a month I’m all over that shit. Unfortunately I usually make it for about 5 weeks, lost that 30 pounds, then stuff my face and gain it back plus 10 pounds for my trouble. I do this about once a year. Those extra 10 pounds a year for years makes for a very big girl.

19 years ago, I lost 43 pounds on Weight Watchers and kept most of it off for 2 years till I got pregnant. To lose that weight I was obsessive. And I ended up way too skinny to maintain. I worked out twice a day. I didn’t have kids yet, so counting exchanges (the program back then was before points) was kind of fun. I liked the puzzle every day of how I would divide my meals with protein, fat and carbs (I kind of would like that again!).

I’ve joined WW several times since then and have not made it past 5 weeks. I think the points are just a little too vague and permissive for me. I did great on the Smart for Life Cookie Diet, and on HCG, but I was obsessed, my whole life was about the diet, especially with both being around 800 calories a day. I’ve tried all the little magic diets, pills, sprinkles, Jenny Craig, all of them. I’m all hung ho for a week then my stomach hurts and I give up.

This time I’m trying a few small changes. Already my New Years plans are ruined. I love the treadmill, but haven’t done as much per day as I thought I would, but at least I’m doing it. I haven’t completely cut sweets, but I’m cutting back. I am eating more veggies, and trying to remember to write stuff down in My fitness pal, I’m drinking more water, but still not enough. I did cut out Diet Coke so far.

But these are small things I’m changing, hopefully permanently. I’m hoping they become second nature.

I wanted to lose a ton of weight before Wicked Book Weekend, and if I go to an HCG or a Quick weight loss place I may be happy with my results short term. But this time I want to change. Really change. So now, I would like to lose the 10 pounds that I gained since last year’s Wicked Book Weekend, and I’m hoping that’s not too unrealistic in the next 2 months.

Baby steps. Maybe that’s the way to go. If I make enough small changes, perhaps this time they’ll stick. I may be fat for Wicked Book Weekend, but maybe by next year I won’t be!

Comments

Im with you. When I was single, I had willpower. Post kid-im lucky I have time and effort to put makeup on once a week. The only thing that’s not stretched too thin is my ass and stomach.Again when I was single and had nothing but time on my hands, I used to walk like 20+ miles a week when I lived in FL. I ate low fat. I was looking great. Then I moved to the DC area and met my hubby.

I got preggo 3 months after we got married Had my gargantuan son (9.5 lbs 22″ and I am 5’1 so I wont tell you how I looked but I was ginormous). Post kid-Ive done every diet known to mankind-the worst for me was Atkins. Im always on the honeymoon period of whatev diet where I lose like 20 lbs, I can feel my brain and body craving whatever I have to give up. I slowly inch off the diet and then BAM! I am plowing through a can of pringles like a rabid dog, followed by a med pizza that I chew through like termites on dead wood. Next thing I know, Ive gained all that shit back plus some. So this time around, I am not dieting. I am just simply altering a few things: Lower salt (huge diff by the way!), replacing some ground beef dishes with turkey ground meat, eating out less often (another huge effect), make ny own pizza more often (I used turkey pepperoni and fresh mozz which I find that pizzas at home are less fatty and less salty). These minor changes don’t leave me feeling like Im giving it all up. Making more stuff at home really makes a diff and I try to do some crockpot stuff over the weekend for weekday meals (chilli, stews, soups, etc). SO far Ive lost 20 and seem to be keeping it off. But I need to lose a hell of a lot more. Its winter so I haven’t been exercising-somehow have to figure out how to work that in my schedule but baby steps as you say. Im not pushing myself into new milestones, I want to stay here for awhile and then work into a new milestone with adding exercise in because for me, exercise makes me more hungry and I think I need to work on shrinking my stomach and cravings before adding that in.

I always have good intentions, and now I’m just shooting for 5 lbs a month. I’m down around 15-18 so far. I have one more 6 pack of diet dr pepper, and then I’m getting off soda. I’m hoping that will help… So I’m working on it.

I’m with you. I’m trying to make gradual changes and not beat myself up when I don’t do as well as I should. The whole carbs thing is a nightmare for me. I’ve done the really low carb diets and lost it; but then, like you said, I gained it back. So, I’m working out and trying to make better choices. I, too, have traded all but my one morning diet coke for water.

Touch Me Here

About Starting on Monday

This is a fun place to talk about being curvy, willpower, diet successes and failures, motivation, family, fashion, sex, body image, and basically life in general. I hope to have guest bloggers who struggle with the same issues, and guests who overcame it all.
•
Join me in my diet struggles and successes, my commentary about being the chubby friend, being a wife and mom, and trying to look the best with what I have.
•
Expect some adult content, snarkiness, and frequent F-bombs.

About Ana

I’m Ana. I’m always cheating on a diet. I gain weight preparing to “start on Monday”, but I rarely get past Tuesday. Every time I lose weight, I gain it back with interest. My closet ranges from a size 12 to a size 20. I’m a chronic reader and a book blogger at Ana’s Attic Book Blog. I’m married forever to a skinny guy, with a 20-year-old (not at home) and a 13-year-old. I hate cooking (except baking treats), cleaning and basically anything besides sitting on my ass and reading or going to my kids’ activities. I’m the queen of procrastination!

Subscribe via e-mail

Enter your e-mail address to have the latest posts delivered directly to your inbox for free.

Enter your email address...

Or follow via bloglovin'

Search Amazon

Guest Bloggers

Guest posters can include anyone that thinks they are too curvy and ones that have been there, and lost it all. It can include busy moms, recipes sharers, and procrastinators.
Do you want to guest post?
E-mail me your story at ana@startingonmonday.com

Grab My Butt(on)

Visit my book blog

Popular Posts

Recent Guest Bloggers

Caregiving, Cookies and Self-Care
By MJ Santangelo
I’m a wife, a mother of … [Read More...]

Starting on Monday. What an ideal concept, right? Like Monday is the automatic … [Read More...]

Affiliate Disclosure

Starting on Monday is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Privacy Policy

Starting on Monday does not share personal information with third parties nor do we store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies.

You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings.

We are not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without our permission.

This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on February 9, 2018. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly here: ana@34i.31e.myftpupload.com

Disclosure

The recommendations and opinions expressed in this blog are one hundred percent my own, or that of the guest bloggers. We are not experts in any field and the information contained is for entertainment purposes only.

Starting on Monday in no way provides any warranty, express or implied, towards the content of recipes in this website. It is the reader’s responsibility to determine the value and quality of any recipe or instructions provided for food preparation and to determine the nutritional value, if any, and safety of the preparation instructions.

The recipes presented are intended for entertainment and/or informational purposes and for use by persons having appropriate technical skill, at their own discretion and risk.

IN OTHER WORDS…

While I prepare the recipes at my own risk, I assume that should you desire to follow the recipes in this blog, you are doing so “at your own risk”.

I make no warranties for the outcome of your food experiments or the safety of your purchased food or equipment.

Touch Me Here

Archive

Archive

Categories

Categories

Copyright

All images and text on this blog are credited to Starting on Monday, unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material (including translations) without express and written permission from Starting on Monday’s author is strictly prohibited.

Excerpts (no longer than a short paragraph) and links to this blog are permitted, providing that full credit is given to Starting on Monday with clear and specific direction to the original content.